


the memories we make

by katie_049



Series: Grounded in Love [2]
Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Grounded in Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27824143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katie_049/pseuds/katie_049
Summary: Life for Matt, Sylvie, and Amelia continues as they find their way together as a family.
Relationships: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Series: Grounded in Love [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036194
Comments: 84
Kudos: 133





	1. First Date

**Author's Note:**

> It's finally here! I know it took me forever, but I haven't forgotten. I'm just going to add to this whenever I have time. I have a lot of ideas, that's definitely not the problem. But if anyone wants to read something specific just hit me up, and then be a little patient. I'll get to it at some point ;)
> 
> These are just little snippets of their life together. They don't follow a specific timeline. Each chapter does have a specific date above it, so be on the lookout! It's NOT a multi-chapter story!!
> 
> Many thanks go out to multi_anglxs for helping me with the title. She brainstormed with me and came up with this! So thanks a million! ♥ ♥

**June 25th, 2020 ~ Amelia 13 weeks old**

“I can’t believe we sat here for three hours straight,” Sylvie exclaimed, brushing down her white skirt as she stood up from her chair. Grabbing her purse from the table, she pushed her empty chair back against the table. “It feels like we just got here a few minutes ago.”

Matt chuckled softly, placing his hand on her back, his fingers skimming over the tiny patch of bare skin between her skirt and her crop top. “I guess that means I’m not too rusty at this dating stuff.”

She turned towards him, giving him a beaming smile. “You did pretty good, Captain Casey,” she breathed as she placed her hand on his chest, rubbing over his light blue button-down shirt until her hand rested on his shoulder. “You might be able to persuade me to a second date.”

Lifting an eyebrow, Matt leaned forward to place a chaste kiss onto her lips. “I plan on taking you on a lot of dates, and I can think of many different ways to convince you to go with me in case you weren’t willing. Don’t worry, Sylvie.” He trailed his fingers along the bare line of skin across her back, his smile turning into a teasing smirk.

A shiver ran down her spine, and she pushed herself closer to Matt. She let her hand wander into his hair, grabbing onto it gently to pull his face closer to hers. “I can’t wait,” she whispered against his lips, before engaging him in another kiss, but just as he hungrily responded, she pulled away from him, grabbing his hand. “Come on, you promised me a walk along the riverfront.”

An irritated huff left his lips, and he looked slightly dazed for a second, but he quickly recovered, shaking his head. “And she’s already bossy. I guess I’ll be in for a ride with you.”

Scrunching up her nose, she shifted closer to him until she was wrapped around his arm that was holding her hand. “I know you love it.”

His face turned soft. “I do. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He leaned down to press a kiss against her hair.

Her heart skipped a beat at his words, and she tightened her hold on his arm to steady herself as a wave of dizziness flashed through her. How could he be so perfect? And why on earth was she so lucky to be with this man?

“Alright, let’s go. Wouldn’t want you to change your mind about the status of the date,” he urged her as he walked towards the exit of the restaurant. “One quick walk along the river for you, before I have to get you back home.”

At the reminder of their little remaining time together, Sylvie couldn’t help but pout like a three-year-old. It might have looked childish, but tonight she felt absolutely carefree and happy just to be with Matt.

The evening really had been perfect with the two of them eating at a small restaurant right by the river. As always, Matt had been the perfect gentleman all evening long. Picking her up and bringing her flowers, complimenting her on her dress and pulling out her chair, and holding her hand through almost the entire dinner. He made her feel appreciated, and it has honestly been too long since she felt this way.

“You look cute when you do that face, but it’s entirely unnecessary. I’ll just take you out again tomorrow,” Matt reassured her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as he led them down the sidewalk to the river.

“I don’t think Emily has time to watch Amelia tomorrow,” Sylvie sighed, but she couldn’t really stay sad for too long at the thought of her daughter. She loved her baby to pieces, and she would never regret spending time with her.

“Look at you being a hogger. You don’t even want to share me with your own daughter,” Matt chastised her in a mocking tone, giving her a matching shocked look.

Huffing softly, Sylvie bumped her shoulder into his, making them stumble towards the railing along the sidewalk. “You’re mean,” she mumbled lowly, giving him another gentle shove.

It caused Matt to fall against the railing, and he reached out to pull her with him until his back leaned against it, and he had his arms wrapped around her waist.

A short laugh burst out of him as he mustered her face, and Sylvie decided it would be one of her favorite sounds from now on.

“I knew that dating you would include Amelia, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s important to me, and I don’t mind spending time with both of you,” Matt assured her in a soft voice, holding her close to him with his hands resting on her lower back.

Wrapping her arms around Matt’s neck, Sylvie pulled her upper body closer to him. With their fronts pressed together, she pushed her chin up to him, chewing her lip.

“How do you always know what to say in these moments? You’re unfairly good at this wooing stuff,” she said under her breath, letting her hands glide down to his shoulders and then back up to his neck.

“You’re just making it really easy for me,” Matt remarked, looking down at her. His hands moved to frame her face, his thumbs brushing over her cheekbones in a feather-light touch.

“You’re doing it again,” Sylvie hummed, pushing herself onto her tiptoes to connect her lips to his in a chaste kiss. “How am I supposed to say goodnight to you later? I don’t think I can let you go. Maybe you do have to stay over.”

Laying a kiss onto her nose, he smiled softly, “As tempting as that sounds, I’m still gonna leave tonight. I always rushed into relationships, and they never worked out. And I want us to work.” He paused, tilting his head to the side. “So, I need to break this pattern of rushing headfirst into everything. You deserve someone who takes the time to show you how special you are because you’re worth it. And as much as this slow pace is killing me, I’m gonna do right by you.”

At this point, her heart was hammering against her chest, and Sylvie knew for sure that Matt could feel it too. She was at a loss of words because not one of her other partners had ever made her feel this way before. Especially not in such a short time.

“Matt, I…,” she whispered but trailed off again. The ‘I love you’ was on her lips, and while they might not have used these exact words, they had both expressed to the other they were in love with each other. In this moment though, those three little words weren’t nearly enough to express her feelings for him, and at the same time, she wanted to shout them out to the world.

Matt touched his lips to her forehead, before pulling her head against his chest. “I know. Me too,” he promised her as he nuzzled his nose into her hair.

A tiny wave of relief flooded through her at his acknowledgment, and she buried her face against his neck, taking a deep breath of his intoxicating scent. They were saving those three little words for another time, even though they both felt it deep in their bones. This was just another part of not rushing their relationship and skipping several steps in between, and if that meant she would get to feel this way for a really long time, she would be absolutely fine with that. 

* * *

A breathy moan left her lips as Matt’s lips trailed down her throat, sucking on the junction of her neck. His hand was playing with the hemline of her dress at her waist, and Sylvie almost cursed herself for thinking that a high-waist skirt and crop top would be a good choice for a first date outfit. The tight material didn’t allow Matt any room to really touch more than the small patch of bare skin along her mid-back, and she itched to feel his warm hands run over her body.

They were standing in the hallway of her apartment, but they had barely made it out of the elevator before Matt had pressed her against the nearest wall to kiss her senseless. He might not be staying over, but that certainly didn’t stop them from making out like teenagers before he had to say goodnight to her.

Sylvie had one of her hands in his hair, holding him close to her, while the other roamed over his back, appreciating his muscular body. His hand, that wasn’t toying with her hemline, was running up and down her side, trailing leisurely over her bum from time to time.

He was driving her wild, and when the need to kiss him overwhelmed her, she tugged at his hair, pulling his lips back up to hers.

Kissing Matt had quickly become her favorite thing, and after a few short days of being with him, she was addicted to his kisses. The way he always reached for her in those moments, caressing her face, touching her arm, or running his hand down her side made her heart skip a beat every single time.

This time wasn’t any different, and it didn’t take long for his tongue to slip into her mouth. He tasted like the sweet rosé they had for dinner, mixed with something so uniquely him that made her knees wobble. He was just too good at this.

Before she fully lost her balance, she held on tighter to him, and in turn, he pressed her more firmly into the wall until the entire lengths of their bodies were touching.

It elicited a deep groan from Matt’s throat, and his hand reached down to her thigh, sneaking under her skirt to touch her silky skin there. He slowly inched it upwards, leaving a burning trail in its wake, and she eagerly lifted her leg up to give him more access.

The high dinging of the elevator abruptly pulled both of them out of their haze, and Matt’s hand slipped from her thigh, quickly smoothing down her skirt. Their lips separated, and he let his head fall to her shoulder, hiding his face against her neck.

Sucking in some air, Sylvie glanced to the side to see her neighbor, Mrs. Rodgers, an older lady that lived across from her, exiting the elevator. She mustered them amused, a smile playing on her lips.

“I’m glad to see you having a good time, Sylvie dear, but maybe you want to move this somewhere more private,” the older woman suggested, nodding towards Sylvie’s apartment down the hall.

“You’re absolutely right, Mrs. Rodgers. I’m sorry to disturb you. This won’t happen again,” Sylvie apologized profusely as her cheeks reddened.

“Don’t worry, dear. We were all young and in love at some point,” her neighbor waved her off. “I’m glad to see you have found someone who makes you happy. I’m gonna leave you two now. Have a good night.”

“You too, Mrs. Rodgers. And sorry again,” Sylvie called after her as the older woman retreated down the hallway. When she disappeared into her apartment, Sylvie’s hand moved to rub over Matt’s neck.

She was still squished between Matt’s body and the wall as he had barely moved an inch away from her. His hands were laying on her waist, and he was breathing heavily against her throat, his hot breath sending electric jolts through her body.

“A little help would have been nice,” she scolded him softly, scratching through his hair.

It prompted him to lift his head back up from her shoulder, and one of his hands moved to cup her cheek as he rested his forehead against hers. His pupils were blown wide, almost entirely black.

“On second thought, maybe it was better that you didn’t show her your face. You look like your gonna take me right against this wall,” Sylvie chuckled, bumping her nose against his. “Not that I mind that, but she’s got a point. We definitely should take this someplace else.”

“Sylvie,” he growled lowly, his hand clenching against her waist.

His body was so tense, she knew he was hanging by the last thread. “How about you walk me to my door now, so we don’t get carried away again, huh?” She let her hands slide down his shoulders, rubbing his upper arms. “I’m gonna stop teasing, I promise.”

Matt swallowed hard before he pressed one last, hard kiss to her lips and then separated himself from her. “You’re making it hard not to stay.”

Scrunching up her nose, she bit her lip in apology. “We both got a little carried away, but I can’t in good conscience apologize for that. You’re just too good of a kisser and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t just enjoy this, but I do respect your decision to leave.”

“Thank you,” he told her as he grabbed her by the hand, lifting it to his lips to press a kiss against the back of it. “I know this seems silly, but I really want to do this right.”

“It’s not silly, Matt. It’s actually really sweet,” Sylvie countered, sending him a soft smile. “Come on now, Emily is probably already waiting for me. She’s got another early spin class tomorrow morning. I’ve honestly never met anyone who functions that good on the small amount of sleep she gets on a daily basis.”

Tugging at his hand, she pulled them both down the hall towards the apartment before either of them could get carried away again. But the closer they got, the clearer it was that they wouldn’t have another chance of getting carried away anytime soon anyway as loud wails sounded from the apartment.

“Sounds like someone’s not happy with Auntie Em tonight,” Sylvie stated as she searched for her keys in her purse. “She hasn’t had one of her fits in a while.” 

“She’s seemed fine earlier, and it’s barely past 11. Doesn’t she usually wake up later than that?” Matt asked her, concern echoing in his voice. He let go of her hand, placing it on her back while he crowded her space.

“You know how she gets sometimes. Babies usually aren’t reasonable, Matt. I’m sure she’s fine.” Putting the key into the lock, Sylvie opened the door to the apartment, stepping inside.

Matt followed swiftly behind her, pushing past her to walk into the living area. His behavior amused Sylvie. He was usually so level-headed, but when it came to Amelia, he seemed to lose all reason and patience. It was funny and at the same time incredibly sweet.

By the time Sylvie walked around the corner, Matt was already standing in front of Emily with his hands reaching out towards the baby.

“Brett, I really love you, and I’m all for you and the captain getting some alone time, but this little monster has been screaming my ears off for the last 20 minutes. There is no reason for her to be this upset, and I love her, I really do, but she’s being unreasonable and dramatic,” Emily exclaimed as she bounced in her spot.

“She doesn’t like to be held like this when she’s upset,” Matt pointed out as he pried Amelia out of Emily’s arms. “You have to cradle her horizontally against your chest, so she can look up to you.”

Crossing the distance between them, the blonde paramedic stopped next to Matt just as he adjusted Amelia against his chest. Briefly, leaning down to press a kiss to her daughter’s head, Sylvie let her fingers run through her soft hair.

“Of course, he knows better,” Emily mumbled sarcastically, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and pulling Sylvie’s attention towards her.

“I’m sorry she’s been such a troublemaker tonight. I really appreciate you taking care of her,” Sylvie addressed her friend, opening her arms to hug her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Matt bouncing away with Amelia in his arms, his head hanging low as he quietly hushed the baby.

Her roommate huffed annoyed but embraced her anyway. “Just tell me my future hearing loss is worth it. Did you have a good time?”

A cheerful smile covered Sylvie’s face as she squeezed her friend one last time before separating from her. “It was wonderful. He went out of his way to make sure I loved every minute. I can’t remember the last time I felt this way. It was perfect.”

Her friend chuckled softly, a smirk playing on her lips. “Well that sounds wonderful, and judging from this little smudge here,” Emily whispered, running her fingers along the skin of her neck where Matt’s lips had been just a few minutes ago, “I’d say the munchkin interrupted you from making more babies with your baby daddy.”

Embarrassed, her hand flew to her neck, covering the hickey that Matt must have left there. It’s been forever since she had one of those. “Emily, how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling him that?”

“I’m just stating the obvious.” Her friend lifted her hands up in front of herself, shaking her head. “And you do look like you’ve been thoroughly kissed.”

Biting her lip, Sylvie tried to cover her own smirk at the memory of Matt’s lips against hers. She could particularly feel his wandering hands against her body, and a shudder went through her body. “Let’s just say, Matt knows what he’s doing, and I don’t think we’ll have problems in that department.”

Emily gave her a gentle shove, beaming at her. “Girl, happy looks good on you. Seems like Casey has more game than I thought.”

“Speaking of Matt, I should find him and relieve him of Amelia. He didn’t exactly plan on coming inside,” Sylvie announced, squeezing her friend’s arm one last time. “Thanks again, Em. We really needed some time alone.”

“Don’t sweat it and don’t listen to a word I said earlier. I’ll gladly watch her again if you wanna go out with your man. Just maybe not in the next week,” Foster promised her with a quick kiss to her cheek. “I’m gonna go to sleep now. Early spin class tomorrow morning.”

With that, her friend turned to leave, disappearing towards her room. Sighing, Sylvie turned to look through the living room, but Matt was not in sight. It was quiet though, so he seemed to have gotten Amelia to calm down.

Heading towards Amelia’s room, she found him sitting in the rocking chair that stood in the corner of the room. It actually looked more like an armchair with the big, plushy cushions, and it was one of her favorite places to sit with Amelia as it was so comfy but at the same time practical.

Quietly tiptoeing closer to the two of them, she perched down on the side of the armchair, throwing her arm over Matt’s shoulder. “You two disappeared on me, but I see you just wanted to sneak away for some cuddles.”

Matt puffed out some air, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her from the side of the armchair onto his lap. “I just hate it when she cries. It feels like someone’s pulling my heart out.”

Shifting in her position on his lap, she tangled her fingers in his hair, scratching his scalp softly. “I get that. I can’t wait for her to be able to talk. It’s gonna make this a lot easier.” She pressed a quick kiss to his temple, before resting her cheek against his head, looking at her daughter who was still awake. “You gotta go to sleep again, sweets. We’re all tired, lovey.”

“The bigger she gets, the less prone she’s gonna be to those cuddles though,” Matt hummed as he played with Amelia’s hand, brushing his thumb over it repeatedly.

“If she’s anything like me, she’s gonna be big on cuddles for a long time. My brother used to make fun of me whenever I would snuggle up to either of my parents during movie night as a teenager, but it was just so calming,” Sylvie mused with a quiet laugh. “And I think between you and me, she’s gonna learn to love these cuddles.”

Lifting his head up to look at her, he locked eyes with her. “I’m usually not one to force anything on anyone, but I’m fine with us forcing our love for cuddles onto her. Especially if it means I get to enjoy more moments like these with the two of you.”

Her lips tugged upwards, and she cupped his cheek with her free hand. “Sounds perfect to me.” Leaning forward, she pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. “Stay for a few more minutes?”

With a smile on his face, he pushed his chin up, connecting their lips back together. “Absolutely.” 


	2. Old Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I couldn't help myself after watching the episode where Mills left last night. I love that guy, and I never realized how much I missed him. Now, I've never written Mills before (obviously) but I think I got him about right. You don't have to have read Grounded in Love to get this one, so just enjoy! ♥  
> Originally I had planned to stick to a straight timeline, and I will try that from now on, but sometimes it just hits you, and you need to waver ;)  
> Let me know what you think! :)

**August 21 st, 2021 ~ Amelia 17 months old **

Two minutes. That’s how long Sylvie had taken her eyes off Matt and Amelia, and now they were gone out of her sight. It didn’t make her nervous or anything, but she still couldn’t help but move her gaze through the crowd of people.

It was early afternoon on a Saturday, and today was the annual CFD family picnic followed by the annual CFD gala in the evening. Everyone had gathered at Humboldt Park, and Sylvie couldn’t remember the last time she had seen this many people. All of her colleagues and families were there, and Sylvie was currently talking to Cindy and Donna, who wanted to hear about Amelia’s latest shenanigans.

Ever since the little girl had learned to walk, she had become unstoppable. Adding to that, she was going through a serious social phase at the moment, charming everyone she met. Matt always told her it was something she definitely got from her, but Sylvie kept on insisting that they should have expected it to happen. Their group of friends was huge, and Amelia was used to lots of different people around her. It only made sense that she wasn’t exactly shy.

When Sylvie couldn’t immediately find her two favorite people, she politely excused herself from Cindy and Donna, strolling through the mass of people to find them again. It took her longer than expected, but after a while, she spotted Matt sitting on a blanket together with Severide and Hunter, a lieutenant from firehouse 28 who he had gone to the academy with.

Sylvie stopped to take them in for a second, feeling once again blessed. Matt had one of his arms stretched out to the side with Amelia hanging on it, pulling on the sleeve of his t-shirt. Switching his focus onto their daughter, he smiled at her and pressed a kiss to her cheek, making her giggle. With his other hand, he picked a daisy from the grass next to the blanket, showing it to her briefly and telling her something before reaching up to put it in her hair.

It pulled Amelia’s attention to the grass next to them, and she crouched down to inspect the small flowers on the ground. She touched them carefully with her finger, her forehead wrinkled in concentration. Matt in turn turned back to the conversation with the two other guys, laughing at something they said.

Sylvie could honestly watch them for hours on end. She often did. Matt was the best father Amelia could have asked for, and his unconditional love for her sometimes keeled her over. He had always been a natural with kids but seeing him with Amelia had been different from the start. It was like they all knew from the very beginning that they’d be a family one day. And even after an entire year with him, she still woke up every morning loving him just a little more.

A smile spread over her face, and just as she was resuming her way over to them, Amelia lost interest in the flowers and shifted her focus onto something a little further away from Matt. Sylvie could see the determined look on her face even from a few feet away, and soon enough, Amelia set her path for whatever called her interest, sneaking away from Matt.

With a shake of her head, Sylvie sped up her pace to reign her in again. Just before she reached her boyfriend, he too noticed that their daughter had once again run off, his head snapping into the direction where she had just been seconds ago.

He was already pushing himself off the ground when she passed him, and with her eyes firmly planted on their daughter, she patted the captain’s shoulder gently, throwing him a short, “I got her.” Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see him sagging to the ground again, but she didn’t focus on him any longer.

Who knew that a tiny person could run off that fast? It always amazed her, and she had jokingly suggested to Matt to get their daughter her own Fitbit just to see how many steps she actually took per day and maybe also to get her average pace.

Amelia, who had already passed four more groups of people sitting on their blankets, came to a sudden stop as she crashed into someone’s legs. Instead of falling though, she grabbed onto the calf of this person, holding herself up.

Sylvie held her breath, embarrassment and worry flashing through her, as she watched the stranger reach down to her daughter, steadying her. At second glance though, she realized that he wasn’t a stranger.

“Ops, who do we have here?” A familiar voice asked softly, crouching down to be at Amelia’s eye level.

The blonde girl eyed him curiously for a second, before sending him a cheeky smile that showed off her dimples and teeth. It made her look even cuter than she already was with her two pigtails and her dusky pink summer dress with the little flowers on it. Sylvie knew she was biased, but Amelia was possibly the cutest toddler she had seen in her life.

A deep laugh left the young man, a laugh she had missed these past few years. “Did you sneak away from your parents, sweety?” He asked, scratching his fingers over Amelia’s belly.

Sylvie took it as her turn to cross the remaining distance between them, lifting her hands to her hips as she offered, “Don’t let her sweet smile fool you. She’s a little troublemaker.”

At her voice, Amelia’s head snapped in her direction, and a squeal left her lips. “Mama!” Her body tensed up in excitement, and in her haste, she almost tripped over her own feet as she tried to get over to Sylvie.

With practiced ease, Sylvie caught her before she fell, hoisting her up into her arms. “Hey, lovey. Did you sneak away from Daddy again? You’re gonna give him a heart attack one day.” She leaned in to smack a loud kiss to her cheek, making her giggle. “And I see you made a new friend. Look at you being a busy bee.”

Standing up from the ground, her old partner greeted her with a beaming smile, “Sylvie Brett as I live and breathe! I should have seen the similarities between you two! You two got the same dimples.”

“Peter Mills, I can’t believe you’re here,” she exclaimed happily, throwing him a matching smile. “I haven’t seen you in forever!” She opened her arms for a one-sided hug, which the tall man happily reciprocated.

“Well, it’s been six years now,” he reminded her, pulling away. “And I see a lot has happened since then.” He pointed to Amelia, who was now playing with Sylvie’s short, wavy strands of hair.

Sylvie pursed her lips, looking up to him through her lashes. “That’s what happens when you stop checking in on your old partner,” she teased him with a smirk.

“I see you still haven’t lost your sass, Sylvie Brett,” Mills laughed loudly, shaking his head. “I hoped I would meet you sometime today. Though I did think it would be tonight, but I guess not, Momma.”

“I’m glad to see you too, Peter Mills,” she smiled at him, hoisting Amelia up higher on her hip. “And contrary to popular belief, we do manage to go out from time to time, including tonight. I’ve got my dress all ready.” She wiggled her eyebrows, a laugh bursting out of her too.

“Well, I’m glad to hear. You better save me a dance,” he told her seriously, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I do have a lot of questions though. You better stop putting me on the rack now.” He raised his eyebrows, nodding his chin towards Amelia.

Chuckling softly, she turned her focus on the girl in her arms. “This is my daughter, Amelia. She’s almost one and a half years old now, and her favorite thing to do right now, is running off.” Upon hearing her name, the baby looked back up to her, leaning forward and making a kissy face at her. Crossing the distance between their faces, Sylvie gave in to her daughter’s request, pressing a wet kiss to her lips.

“When I left, you had just broken up with Cruz because he was too sweet and comfortable, but look at you now! Talk about personal growth, partner,” Mills noted in disbelief, one of his hands reaching out to gently tickle Amelia’s side.

The baby squirmed in Sylvie’s arms in delight, wiggling until Sylvie loosened her grip on her, lowering her back to the ground. “Do you wanna run back to Daddy?” She asked her in a soft voice, keeping hold of her arm.

“Dada!” The girl exclaimed happily, pointing in Matt’s general direction. Sylvie could see him from her position. It was a straight path towards him.

“Yeah, that’s right. But no wandering off, lovey. You go straight to daddy and give him a big kiss,” Sylvie encouraged her daughter once more, before letting go of her arm. The second she was free, Amelia sprinted away in Matt’s direction.

“Now, the million-dollar question. Who is daddy?” Peter questioned her, and she could feel his eyes on her. “Is it someone I know?”

Confused, Sylvie briefly glanced up to him, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Letting her gaze move back to Amelia, she stated amused, “You must be one of the few people who doesn’t have an Instagram account yet, huh? I know that North Carolina is a little more rural than Chicago, but I thought you still kept up with all the gossip somehow.”

“Nah, I’m not much of a social media kind of guy. I tried keeping up with things at 51, but at some point, I just had to take a step back and separate myself. I lived in the past for too long, and after a few years or so, I decided to move forward,” he told her, and she could hear the honesty and also a bit of pain in his voice.

“I get that, Mills. And I’m glad you moved on. You deserved to find your own happiness.” She bumped their shoulders together, nodding her head towards Amelia who was just about to reach Matt. “I guess you’re in for a surprise now.”

As much as she wanted to see her old partner’s reaction to the news, Sylvie was unable to tear her gaze away from her daughter. She watched her crash into her father’s side, a full-blown smile on her face as she stumbled into his lap.

Matt caught her with practiced ease, just as she had a few minutes ago, wrapping her in his muscular arms and nuzzling his face against her neck with a matching smile on his face. Even though he pretended to be surprised by her attack, Sylvie knew that he had kept an eye on her the entire time. He always did.

“Oh,” Peter sounded up next to her. “I did not see that coming.”

She pulled her focus away from her little family, glancing up to the man next to her. He looked genuinely surprised, and maybe also a little confused.

“A lot has happened since you left,” Sylvie hummed softly, her eyes wandering back to Matt. “It happened gradually, and I fought it for a long time, but Matt Casey can be pretty persistent when he wants.” She paused to chuckle softly. “And I honestly didn’t stand a chance after seeing him with Amelia for the first time.”

“Uhm, I’m a little confused to be honest,” Peter confessed as he lifted his arm to scratch his neck. “So, you got pregnant with Amelia before you two were…?” He trailed off, raising his eyebrows while trying very hard to keep his face in check.

A bewildered huff left her throat, and her hand flicked to hit him on the arm. “Peter Mills! You can’t seriously think that I got myself pregnant from my former best friend’s ex-husband not even a full year after she left and they got divorced.”

He lifted his hands up in front of him. “I don’t know anything about the timeline here, but I do know how babies are made!”

A laugh burst out of her at his comment, and she took pity on him. How was he supposed to know? Outside of the firehouse, only a few people knew that Amelia actually wasn’t their biological daughter.

“That’s what I meant with the long story. Amelia’s actually my half-sister, and I adopted her when my birth mom died during childbirth,” Sylvie explained, a wave of sadness flashing through her. The urge to be closer to Matt almost overwhelmed her, and she shifted next to her old partner. “Matt and I got together when Amelia was around three months old, and he’s been there for both of us ever since.” She shot him a sad smile before focusing on Matt and Amelia again.

Their daughter was hanging around his neck, her little fingers brushing over Matt’s throat. It was her way of tickling them, and even though it wasn’t tickling them at all, they both indulged her attempts. If she listened closely enough, Sylvie was sure she could hear Matt laughing even from afar. He nuzzled his nose into her neck, blowing kisses against her skin while his hands tickled her sides gently. It caused Amelia to throw her head back in laughter, and it was all Sylvie needed to feel better.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Sylvie,” Peter pulled her back to their conversation as he threw an arm over her shoulder. “But for what it’s worth, you do seem happy now. Motherhood looks good on you, and I know Casey’s a good guy too.”

Wrapping her arm around his waist, she gave him a quick squeeze. “Thanks, Peter. I appreciate it. I can’t imagine my life without those two, even though they drive me crazy sometimes.”

As they separated, Sylvie marveled at the fact that Peter and she were able to pick up right where they had left off all those years ago. Considering he was one of her best friends back then, it didn’t surprise her too much though. He was just such a genuinely good guy.

“How about we go say hi to the others? I’m sure Severide would love to talk to you. You do know that the guy is finally getting married next month, right?” Sylvie questioned him, nodding in the direction of the men.

“I’m actually invited, and I did plan on coming,” he replied as they started their short walk towards their friends. “Though I haven’t met his fiancée yet. Maybe I’ll finally get to meet her today.”

“Stella’s the best. She rides on 81, and she also just passed the lieutenant’s test earlier this year. She’s a kickass woman. You’ll love her, trust me!” Sylvie praised her best friend, making a mental note to find her and introduce her to Peter.

Before Mills was able to reply though, they had reached the blanket with the three men, stopping just a few feet in front of it.

“Hey guys, look who I found,” Sylvie greeted them with a smile on her face, resting her hand on Peter’s shoulder and giving him a soft shake.

“Peter Mills!” Severide exclaimed as the three men scrambled up from their seats. The squad lieutenant was the first to pull their old colleague into a hug, the biggest smile covering his face. “Did you get the invitation to my wedding? You’ve got to come!”

Matt took his best friend’s enthusiasm to slid up next to her, wrapping his free arm, which wasn’t holding their daughter, around her waist to pull her closer to him. He brushed a tender kiss to her temple, squeezing her hip. “Hi,” he whispered into her ear as he placed another kiss just behind the shell of her ear.

Early in their relationship, Sylvie had learned that Matt was a physical guy, and it wasn’t something she minded at all. She loved this affectionate side of him. When they were in public though, he always kept his touches sweet and innocent, but he still always had a hand on her when she was near him. They also tended to keep their kisses sweet and innocent, but somehow that wasn’t enough for Sylvie today.

When she pushed herself on her tiptoes with one hand landing on his chest and the other going around his back, she first pressed a chaste, quick kiss to his lips before cupping his cheek, and pulling him into a deeper and longer kiss.

He looked dazed when they separated, and his forehead wrinkled slightly. “Are you OK?”

Resting her head against his chest, she cuddled herself close to him, closing her eyes for a second. “I love you.”

A small laugh rumbled low in his chest, and she could feel the vibrations against her cheek. “I love you too.” Touching his lips to her hair once more, he shifted Amelia towards her. “Let me say hi to Mills too. You can hog me later.” He gave her hip a teasing squeeze before addressing Amelia. “Go give Mommy some love, love bug. She needs some big kisses.”

Apart from running off, their daughter’s second favorite thing was definitely giving out kisses, so Matt didn’t have to tell her twice. The little girl reached her arms out to Sylvie with her lips already puckered and ready.

It was the cutest thing in the world, and Sylvie grabbed her happily. “Come here, sweets. Mommy needs some love.”

When Amelia was settled in her arms, already pressing wet kisses to her cheeks, Matt retreated from them, stepping towards Peter.

“Mills, it’s great to see you again. How’s North Carolina treating you?” The captain greeted him in a cheerful voice, going in to give him a hug.

“It’s been great. I’m actually an uncle now, and the restaurant has been running steadily for the last few years. I can’t complain,” Peter told him, clapping his back. “I just haven’t been as lucky in the whole romance department as you have been. You look happy.”

Matt chuckled softly, glancing back to her. “I’ve been pretty darn lucky.”

Her heart soared at his words, and she smiled at him over Amelia’s head. She was the lucky one, and as Amelia pressed more kisses to her face, Sylvie realized one thing.

It was time.


End file.
